It hurts me a great deal to say this but Mani sir has got it all wrong this time. After gems like Roja, Bombay, Yuva and Guru, Raavan is a half baked, badly scripted film which feels forced because there is no feel or flow in it. The story is based on Ramayana and is an attempt to make people see Raavan’s side of the epic saga. Raavan aka Beera (Abhishek) kidnaps Ragini (Aishwarya) to take revenge from Dev (Vikram) for being responsible of Beera’s sister’s death. I don’t think there is any need to give details into the story because, well, there are none. It’s too simple a story which runs on a single track, at the same pace towards an ending which we are all too familiar with.
The most one can do is praise the cinematography which captures the locales beautifully. But even here there was an attempt to do much. As for the editing and screenplay, the less I speak the better. Some scenes in the first half did not connect to each other at all. It felt like a collection of scenes rather than a film. The music which has become really popular thanks once gain to Rahman’s brilliant score is also a letdown in the film. All songs are either picturised badly or are forced into the film. The song Beera (a scintillating composition) would qualify as the best song simply because it comes and goes in the titles. Sadly none of the cast member had the luxury of appearing and disappearing in the titles itself.
Abhishek Bachchan definitely looks the part, but that is it. He over does (read made to overdo) the part of Beera and you fail to sympathize with the character which was necessary for this film. Aishwarya Rai is irritating as Ragini even though like most of her films, she manages to look extraordinary. All she does is make faces and shout ,which becomes really boring after the first 5 minutes. Vikram does well in the first half but loses it as he goes along. The ‘Hanuman’ of the story Sanjeevni played by Govinda is yet another mistake by Mani sir. Not because he casted Govinda, but because he made Govinda a buffoon even in a film like this. Ravi Kishen on the other hand looked the most convincing out of the entire cast and by saying this I hope one can imagine how bad everything was for this to be true.
Raavan is a nonstop bore without any soul what so ever and is recommended only for those who pass their time by watching Ramgopal Varma Ki Aag.
Rating: 1.5 / 5
can feel ur disappointment….guess not going for it now…really wanted to….but none the less…..very well written!!! 🙂
nice..clearly shows how disapppointd u r:P
hi dude, i second that thought.. raavan was for sure a boring movie.. it was a disappointing. However, the review is very interesting.It’s indeed a very good read. i m new to ur blog but i’ll definitely follow this and look out for more… good luck :):) keep writing ….
You have recommended Raavan for those who can watch RGV’s Aag so i can imagine this really must be very poorly made…you seldom trash the effort that goes into making a movie…Madras talkies did not leave an impression this time round…the flow with which you have written your experience of watching a soulless movie is rather interesting…Keep writing..
well written. u saved my money. keep writing…
itti bi buri nai hai..atleast jis aspects main effort mara hai uspe tariif bi karni chahiye….criticism is gud but praise d postive aspects also
Just can’t believe, maniratnam can make such a bad movie..for once i disagree with you on one thing.. i feel music was as bad as the movie itself…
I’m not worried about the film anymore – this post simply confirmed with the opinions I trust, and all have recommended against watching it.
I’m not too well versed with the technicalities of film-making, but I do look for a good script (most of Mani Ratnam’s earlier films), assured acting (Ishqiyan), originality (Black) and intensity (Sarkar). I thought ‘Ishqiyan’ delivered on most counts in recent times, even if it did get a little dragged eventually. ‘Rajneeti’ was another disappointment.
Informative effort in the post, keep them coming.
Good effort in
i knew the movie would suck. abhi ash combo has become more and more irritating over the years. the woman keeps screaming and the guy tries too hard. even mani ratnam couldn’t help them
Hi Ankur,
Nice comments yaar about the movie I felt that movie would not be worth watching. Keep writing. cheers
Harpreet
its also completely devoid of any editing – each scene is like a different episode which was then thrown together to form some sort of linear story line with some flashbacks thrown in for good measure!
that it lacked purpose could still be forgiven, it is only a movie afterall, but I could not get past how badly stitched together it was!!